By Maria Gracia
Want to get more done than you can imagine? Here are five simple steps.
Make a list of the things you have to do tomorrow, the evening before. Prioritize and organize each item in the sequence that it should be accomplished. Consolidate similar tasks together. When you wake up in the morning, you’ll have a clear-cut guide detailing everything that must be done.
Very often, a schedule gets thrown off track due to distraction. If you find that you constantly get off track, get a watch with a timer and set it so it goes off every 30 minutes. Every time it sounds, be sure you’re working on what you originally said you would. If you’re not, stop what you’re doing and get back on schedule. Most distractions are not emergency situations.
Every time you finish something, cross it off your To Do List. This will give you a sense of accomplishment throughout the day.
If you have an appointment during the day, always call to confirm before you leave your home or office. This will ensure that the person you’re meeting did not forget about the appointment. Also, if there is going to be a long waiting time, perhaps you can do something else first, before you leave.
At the end of the day, take a look at your list. How many items were you able to accomplish? Are there only one or two things left undone, or many? If there were just a few undone, simply move them to tomorrow’s To Do List. If there were many undone, and you worked diligently on everything all day, then you probably had too many things on your list to begin with.
Re-think how much you can possibly do in a given day. Remember, you only have 24 hours, and you should be using a third of those hours to sleep!
Still need more help? Here are five little sayings to help get you and keep you organized.
Spring Ahead. Fall Back. That little saying always helps us remember whether we should set the clock ahead or back one hour. Similar little sayings, are also great for helping you to get and stay organized.
A Home for Everything and Everything in its Place. Every item you have, no matter what it is, should have a designated home. For instance, the home for your magazines might be your magazine holder, which is located on your bookshelf. Or your home for your extra file folders and labels, might be the top shelf of your office supplies cabinet. If an item doesn’t have a specific home, it’s considered to be “homeless.” Something that is homeless, tends to get lost. Designate a specific home for all of your stuff. Then, be sure that everything taken, gets returned to its home when done being used.
Don’t Put it Down, Put it Away. When you remove something from its home, the best thing to do when you’re done using it, is to put it away. Yes, sometimes it seems easier to just place it on the kitchen table until later, or to put it on your desk until tomorrow. Unfortunately, this often results in many items being out of place, which can leave your home or office in disarray. Never mind the fact that it presents a bad example for other family members, or staff members. Don’t give clutter a chance to form. Put it away now. You’ll find it when you need it, and your environment will remain clutter-free.
File, Don’t Pile. It is very easy to get overwhelmed with paper. Our paper volume increases on a daily basis. Between lists, mail, bills, school papers, documentation, warranties, etc., it’s often seen as a pain to take the time to handle those papers immediately. However, if those papers begin to transform themselves into piles — and they usually do — it’s going to be even more of a pain to get them under control. Piles tend to get taller and taller, until even the idea of dismantling them seems colossal. This results in lots of piles, and even more stress. If you don’t need a piece of paper, get rid of it immediately. Either recycle it, or give it to the appropriate party. If you do need a piece of paper, file it right now. Don’t put it down, even for a minute. Either place it in your filing cabinet, your Tickler file, your bill paying system, etc. If you take the time to file it now, it won’t stand a chance of growing into a huge pile.
Quality Over Quantity. Clutter and chaos go hand in hand. The more things you have, the easier it is for clutter to form and grow. Always remember to place your emphasis on quality over quantity. In other words, it’s not important to have a lot of things, many of which you never use. It’s more beneficial to have fewer things, all of which you use and/or enjoy. Simplify your life and you will get and stay organized!
Find everything you need when you need it, get everything done when it’s due. Many people think that getting organized is about being neat and tidy. On the contrary, a person who is not very neat or tidy, can be very organized. Being organized actually entails “finding everything you need when you need it, and getting everything done when it’s due.” If you can master these two things, you are well on your way to being organized.
Want to get organized? Get your FREE Get Organized Now! Idea-Pak, filled with tips and ideas to help you organize your home, your office and your life, at the Get Organized Now! Web site www.getorganizednow.com
Copyright by Maria Gracia - Get Organized Now! Used by permission. |
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